Süleymaniye: Sinan's mosque and the old book bazaar
Sinan's masterpiece, his own tomb in the garden, and the old book bazaar to close the morning. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Vezneciler metro (M2)
Third hill. Walk up Süleymaniye Caddesi five minutes — the mosque appears over the rooftops about halfway. Best to arrive between morning prayers (roughly 7am and the late-morning one); the courtyard is then quiet enough to walk slowly through.

2. Sinan'ın Türbesi
The octagonal tomb of Mimar Sinan — the architect who built this mosque and a few hundred others, buried in the small structure he designed for himself. He died at ninety-eight in 1588. Most visitors don't realise it's there; walk in slowly.

3. Süleymaniye Camii
Remove shoes; women given headscarves at the door if needed. The dome is the obvious move, but spend a minute on the floor pattern and the calligraphic medallions on the four piers — the geometry was state-of-the-art for 1557 and still teaches modern engineers.

4. Tombs of Süleyman and Hürrem
Behind the mosque, in the cemetery garden. Süleyman's türbe is grander; Hürrem Sultan's is the more beautiful, faced with İznik tiles in cobalt and turquoise. She was a Ruthenian captive who became Süleyman's only wife and one of the most powerful women of the Ottoman century.

5. Sahaflar Çarşısı
The old book bazaar — late Ottoman, originally on the same spot as a Byzantine paper market. Antique books, calligraphy, Ottoman-era prints, hand-bound miniature Korans. The dealers don't push; let your eye do the work.

6. Beyazıt tram (T1)
The T1 stop right by the Istanbul University gate. The tram takes you east to Sultanahmet, or west toward Aksaray and the airport metro line. Or walk five minutes south into the Grand Bazaar; the morning is still young.

Süleymaniye: Sinan's mosque and the old book bazaar